Vacuum control connectors have heretofore commonly included a resilient body having one or more axially disposed bores. These bores are normally secured at one end in fluid connection with a vacuum control line and adapted for frictional engagement at the other end with a vacuum nipple of a vacuum control device.
As motor driven vehicles have become smaller and their control systems more sophisticated, various problems have arisen with the prior art vacuum control connectors. One of the problems which has arisen is providing vacuum connectors across body panels which are designed to isolate two regions. One example of such a panel is the firewall of an automobile which separates the engine and passenger compartments.
When an aperture was cut in the body panel to allow the prior art vacuum connectors to pass through, the air in the regions on either side of the panel was able to intermix through the connector aperture. Another problem which has arisen is that friction fit connectors were subject to being pulled from the control device, causing the control function to be lost. Yet another problem has arisen in gaining access to restricted regions for interconnecting the vacuum connectors and the vacuum control devices. Generally, the vacuum control device was mounted first, often with a restricted region around its vacuum connection nipples into which the vacuum control connector was maneuvered for coupling. In light of these difficulties, various attempts have been made to overcome these deficiencies.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,757,824 to Parkhurst et al. relates to a vacuum tube and connector assembly for use in a control system including a valve with multiple male outlets. The assembly comprises a plurality of tubes for connecting different ones of the male outlets of the valve with the other parts of the control system. The assembly further includes female connectors on the ends of the tubes which are adapted to mate with the male outlets of the valve and communicate with the tubes.
The tube and connector assembly further comprises a connector housing having a plurality of tapered openings for receiving the female terminals in order to align them with the male outlets of the valve. The female terminals are positioned within the openings of the housing by pulling on the tubes to frictionally engage the connector housing in an interference fit so as to align the female connectors with the male outlets for connection therewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,952 to Fiddler discloses an apparatus which permits a plurality of tubes to be sealably connected in close proximity to ports or other tubes via a relatively elastic block. The block is pressed against a relatively non-elastic base plate with the ports of the plate aligned with the channels of the block so that cross communication between the tubes is prevented. Each tube housed in the block is positioned in individually sealed communication with a port in the base plate.
The apparatus includes a multiple tube connector, a resilient block and a clamp bar comprising one sub-assembly. The block is sealably connected on a base plate which connects the block and tubes to a device which controls the channeling between the tubes connected thereto. The apparatus seals the channels opening through the face of the block against the relatively non-resilient base plate surface in alignment with ports in the base plate. The base plate has means for gripping the clamp bar on the block and ports with a raised bead and a counterbore at each one to assure alignment between the channels and ports and to provide against occluding a channel or port due to flow of the resilient block under clamping force. In operation, two blocks with tubes and a base plate are connected to opposite sides of a double-sided base plate at a location such as the firewall of an automobile or the bulkhead of a plane or ship.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,470 to Peterson discloses a coupling member with four equiangularly spaced fingers at one end and two deflectable tabs at the other end which cooperate to couple a pair of electrical connectors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,172 to De Vera et al. discloses a dual sealing fluid connector for joining fluid lines with a vacuum control device. The connector further provides a seal and a panel through which it extends to isolate the regions on either side of the panel from one another. While the connector does have a resilient body for extending through an aperture in the panel, there is no disclosure of a locking tab for securing the connector with the vacuum control device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,834 to Ewing et al., for a push-type coupling and conduit pipe assembly, describes an elastomeric sleeve for joining pipe sections without the use of an adhesive to provide water-tight, pull-out resistant joints which will accommodate significant bending and shearing forces without failure. The coupling is comprised of a specified combination of an elastomeric binder and a helically wound fibre.